The Washington Post won first place in the foreign reporting category of Germany’s Golden Blogger awards for its use of messaging apps to cover the German elections. The award recognizes experimentation and excellence in coverage of Germany by foreign news outlets.

The Post was honored for its use of Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and Telegram to supplement foreign correspondent Rick Noack’s reporting on the German elections in September 2017. Through these apps, users could interact with Noack, a fluent German speaker, ask him questions, and receive insight into the reporting process. Overseen by Jennifer Hassan, a social media editor embedded in the foreign news team, the project has been relaunched with a new focus on the future of the European Union. Readers can sign up to participate here.

The Golden Bloggers Award is one of Germany’s top digital media awards. More than 1,000 projects were considered for this year’s honors.